City given half-time rollicking
RODGERS BEMOANS EARLY LAPSES IN CONCENTRATION AND AGGRESSION
LEICESTER City were undone by early lapses in concentration and aggression, said a frustrated Brendan Rodgers after the 2-2 draw at Southampton.
City conceded inside three minutes on the south coast as the Saints worked a corner routine, and it’s now only Norwich and Watford who have conceded an opening goal more often than Rodgers’ side.
Three goals in the first half of each of the previous two games suggested City may have put their slow starts behind them, but more early woes at St Mary’s meant Rodgers gave a half-time rollicking to his players.
“In the first half, we didn’t take on the burden of the game straight away,” said Rodgers, right. “Even though we were away from home, we’re a team that likes to get on the front foot but we didn’t start well at all and that was the disappointment. It’s concentration, it’s a lack of concentration, it’s a lack of aggression.
“It’s key moments in the game, that’s what hurts us at times. “The two goals were really poor goals to concede, and it comes from not being aggressive enough, and a lack of concentration. “Once we got through a few times, we looked a threat and looked dangerous in the first half, but we needed to bring more energy and quality into the game.
“The second half reaction was much better. “I’ve said this before, but there is great resilience in our team, and it was a great fightback in the second half.”
Had City played like they did in the second period throughout the game, Rodgers would likely have been walking away from his 100th Premier League match in charge of the club with three points.
Reflecting on reaching a century of league matches at the helm, Rodgers said: “I’m very privileged to have done that.
“Someone mentioned that there are very few managers who have done that in this period of time, so it’s a really nice milestone.
“I love being at the club, I love working with the players, I love everything about the club, so it’s gone very fast.
“We’ve been able to progress, which is important.
“We’re a really competitive team, we’ve won a couple of trophies as well, which is nice, and we just want to keep progressing and challenging the hierarchy of the league.”